A FAMOUS DUA FOR SUSTENANCE
Five in number, the supplicatory prayers for sustenance are as follows:
First: Mu’awiyah ibn ‘Ammar has reported the following: I once asked Imam al-Sadiq (‘a) to teach me a supplicatory prayer for more sustenance. He therefore taught me a supplicatory prayer that I have never seen more effective than it. It is the following:
اَللّٰهُمَّ ارْزُقْنِىْ مِنْ فَضْلِكَ الْوَاسِعِ
O Allah, (please) provide me out of Your all-inclusive,
الْحَلَالِ الطَّيِّبِ
legal, and pleasant sustenance
رِزْقًا وَاسِعًا
with sustenance that is expansive,
حَلَالًا طَيِّبًا
legally gotten, pleasant,
بَلَاغًا لِلدُّنْيَا وَالْاٰخِرَةِ
covering all this-worldly and otherworldly demands,
صَبًّا صَبًّا
pouring, torrential,
هَنِيْئًا مَرِيْئًا
enjoyable, and wholesome,
مِنْ غَيْرِ كَدٍّ
without exhaustive affairs
وَلَا مَنٍّ مِّنْ اَحَدٍ مِّنْ خَلْقِكَ
and without the favor of any of Your creatures;
اِلَّا سَعَةً مِّنْ فَضْلِكَ الْوَاسِعِ
rather, with a favor out of Your all-inclusive favors.
فَاِنَّكَ قُلْتَ وَاسْئَلُوْا اللّٰهَ مِنْ فَضْلِهِ
You have said, “Ask Allah of His grace.”
فَمِنْ فَضْلِكَ اَسْئَلُ
Thus, from Your grace only do I ask,
وَ مِنْ عَطِيَّتِكَ اَسْئَلُ
from Your gift only do I ask,
وَ مِنْ يَدِكَ الْمَلْاَ اَسْئَلُ
and from Your abounding donation do I ask.
Second: Imam al-Baqir (‘a) is reported to have said to Zayd al-Shahham: For sustenance, you may say the following supplicatory prayer in the obligatory prayer while you are in the position of prostration:
يَا خَيْرَ الْمَسْئُوْلِيْنَ
O best of all those whom may be besought
وَ يَا خَيْرَ الْمُعْطِيْنَ
and O best of all those who may give,
اُرْزُقْنِىْ وَارْزُقْ عِيَالِىْ مِنْ فَضْلِكَ
(please) provide me and my dependants with sustenance out of Your grace,
فَاِنَّكَ ذُوالْفَضْلِ الْعَظِيْمِ۔
for You verily the Lord of great favoring.
Third: Abu-Basir is reported to have said: I complained to Imam al-Sadiq (‘a) about poverty and asked him to teach me a supplicatory prayer for sustenance. He therefore taught me a supplicatory prayer after which I have never needed anything. Precisely, the Imam (‘a) instructed me to say the following supplicatory prayer in the Night Prayer while I am in the position of prostration:
يَا خَيْرَ مَدْعُوٍّ
O best of all those whom may be besought,
وَ يَا خَيْرَ مَسْئُوْلٍ
O best of all those whom may be begged,
وَ يَا اَوْسَعَ مَنْ اَعْطٰى
O most ample-giver of all those who may give,
وَ يَا خَيْرَ مُرْتَجِىً
and O best of all those whom may be pleased,
اُرْزُقْنِىْ وَ اَوْسِعْ عَلَىَّ مِنْ رِزْقِكَ
(please) provide me with sustenance, grant me liberal sustenance,
وَ سَبِّبْ لِىْ رِزْقًا مِنْ قِبَلِكَ
and cause me to receive sustenance from Your Presence,
اِنَّكَ عَلٰى كُلِّ شَيْئٍ قَدِيْرٌ۔
for You have power over all things.O
Referring to the same supplicatory prayer, Shaykh al-Tusi, in his book of Misbah al-Mutahajjid, has mentioned that this supplicatory prayer may be said in the second prostration of the eighth unit of the Night Prayer.
Fourth: The Holy Prophet (s) is reported to have instructed that this supplicatory prayer might be said for asking for sustenance:
يَا رَازِقَ الْمُقِلِّيْنَ
O Sustainer of the impoverished,
وَ يَا رَاحِمَ الْمَسَاكِيْنَ
O Compassionate to the poor,
وَ يَا وَلِىَّ الْمُؤْمِنِيْنَ
O Patron of the believers,
وَ يَا ذَا الْقُوَّةِ الْمَتِيْنَ
and O Lord of power and strong,
صَلِّ عَلٰى مُحَمَّدٍ وَّ اَهْلِ بَيْتِهِ
(please) send blessings upon Muhammad and his Household,
وَارْزُقْنِىْ وَ عَافِنِىْ
provide me with sustenance, grant me wellbeing,
وَ اكْفِنِىْ مَا اَهَمَّنِىْ۔
and save me from what has distressed me.
Fifth: Reporting this supplicatory prayer for seeking sustenance from Imam al-Sadiq (‘a), Abu-Basir added that Imam al-Sadiq (‘a) ascribed this prayer to Imam ‘Ali ibn al-Husayn (‘a):
اَللّٰهُمَّ اِنّى اَسْئَلُكَ حُسْنَ الْمَعِيْشَةِ مَعِيْشَةً اَتَقَوِّىْ بِهَا عَلٰى جَمِيْعِ حَوَاۤئِجِىْ وَ اَتَوَصَّلُ بِهَا فِى الْحَيٰوةِ اِلٰى اٰخِرَتِىْ مِنْ غَيْرِ اَنْ تُتْرِفَنِىْ فِيْهَا فَاَطْغِىْ اَوْ تُقَتِّرَ بِهَا عَلَىَّ فَاَشْقِىْ اَوْسِعْ عَلَىَّ مِنْ حَلَالِ رِزْقِكَ وَ اَفْضِلْ عَلَىَّ مِنْ سَيْبِ فَضْلِكَ نِعْمَةً مِنْكَ سَابِغَةً وَ عَطَاۤءً غَيْرَ مَمْنُوْنٍ ثُمَّ لَاتَشْغَلْنِىْ عَنْ شُكْرِ نِعْمَتِكَ بِاِكْثَارٍ مِنْهَا تُلْهِيْنِىْ بَهْجَتُهُ وَ تَفْتِنُنِىْ زَهَرَاتُ زَهْوَتِهِ وَلَا بِاِقْلَالٍ عَلَىَّ مِنْهَا يَقْصُرُ بِعَمَلِىْ كَدُّهُ وَ يَمْلَاُ صَدْرِىْ هَمُّهُ اَعْطِنِىْ مِنْ ذٰلِكَ يَا اِلٰهِىْ غِنًى عَنْ شِرَارِ خَلْقِكَ وَ بَلَاغًا اَنَالُ بِهِ رِضْوَانَكَ وَ اَعُوْذُ بِكَ يَا اِلٰهِىْ مِنْ شَرِّ الدُّنْيَا وَ شَرِّ مَا فِيْهَا وَ لَاتَجْعَلْ عَلَىَّ الدُّنْيَا سِجْنًا وَلَافِرَاقَهَا عَلَىَّ حُزْنًا اَخْرِجْنِىْ مِنْ فِتْنَتِهَا مَرْضِيًّا عَنِّىْ مَقْبُوْلًا فِيْهَا عَمَلِىْ اِلٰى دَارِ الْحَيَوَانِ وَ مَسَاكِنِ الْاَخْيَارِ،
وَ اَبْدِلْنِىْ بِالدُّنْيَا الْفَانِيَةِ نَعِيْمَ الدَّارِ الْبَاقِيَةِ اَللّٰهُمَّ اِنِّىْ اَعُوْذُ بِكَ مِنْ اَزْلِهَا وَ زِلْزَالِهَا وَ مِنْ سَطَوَاتِ شَيَاطِيْنِهَا وَ سَلَاطِيْنِهَا وَ نَكَالِهَا وَ مِنْ بَغْىِ مَنْ بَغِىْ عَلَىَّ فِيْهَا اَللّٰهُمَّ مَنْ كَادَنِىْ فَكِدْهُ وَ مَنْ اَرَادَنِىْ فَاَرِدْهُ وَ فُلَّ عَنِّىْ حَدَّ مَنْ نَصَبَ لِىْ حَدَّهُ وَاَطْفِءْ عَنِّىْ نَارَ مَنْ شَبَّ لِىْ وَ قُوْدَهُ وَاكْفِنِىْ مَكْرَ الْمَكَرَةِ وَ افْقَاْعَنِّىْ عُيُوْنَ الْكَفَرَةِ وَاكْفِنِىْ هَمَّ مَنْ اَدْخَلَ عَلَىَّ هَمَّهُ وَادْفَعْ عَنِّىْ شَرَّ الْحَسَدَةِ وَاعْصِمْنِىْ مِنْ ذٰلِكَ بِالسَّكِيْنَةِ وَاَلْبِسْنِىْ دِرْعَكَ الْحَصِيْنَةَ وَاَحْيِنِىْ فِىْ سِتْرِكَ الْوَاقِىْ وَ اَصْلِحْ لِىْ حَالِىْ وَ صَدِّقْ قَوْلِىْ بِفِعَالِىْ وَ بَارِكْ لِىْ فِىْ اَهْلِىْ وَ مَالِىْ۔
In Section Two, I have mentioned some prayers that are offered for asking for increase in sustenance.
